iPad Pro 1st Generation 12.9 inch

November 11, 2015

The first generation of iPad Pro is a line of iPad, a tablet computer developed and marketed by Apple. The iPad Pro was released in 2015 alongside the Apple Pencil, and was the first iPad to use the Pencil as an input device.

The iPad Pro was first sold in November 2015 at a screen size of 12.9 inches, larger than all previous iPad models. A smaller 9.7 inch model, based on the form factor of the iPad Air 2, was released in March 2016. The 12.9 inch model was the first iPad to feature LPDDR4 RAM.

The 12.9-inch version of the iPad Pro was announced during an Apple Special Event on September 9, 2015. It was released on November 11, 2015, with silver, gold, and space gray color options. Prices ranged from US$799 to $1,229, based on storage size and cellular connectivity.

Both iPad Pro models include the A9X chip and the Apple M9 motion co-processor. The 9.7-inch model, however, has a slightly underclocked CPU (2.16 GHz compared to 2.26 GHz on the 12.9-inch model) and only 2 GB of RAM. Several features are carried over from the standard iPad, such as Touch ID and the Retina Display. New features include a smart connector for a keyboard and four stereo speakers located in pairs on top and bottom of the device. The 12.9-inch model has a 2732-by-2048 display and the 9.7-inch model has a 2048-by-1536 display. Both displays have a resolution of 264 pixels per inch and feature a variable refresh rate, a first for Apple. The 12.9-inch version is also the first iOS device to include more than 2 GB of RAM.

A customized 12.9 inch iPad Pro was also designed by Jony Ive and submitted to Phillips's Time for Design auction. The special edition iPad Pro has an "Edition 1 of 1" label engraved on its back and comes with a custom yellow-gold anodized finish, a blue leather Smart Cover and an orange leather Apple Pencil case cover, all of which are not sold by Apple elsewhere. The special edition sold for £50,000.